U.S. News 2012 College Rankings: Harvard on Top, But Lots of Changes Below

U.S. News and World Report's newly released 2012 college rankings look a little like the baseball standings: a few institutions are on top every year, but the field is constantly shifting.

Drawn from statistical questionnaires completed by the schools (the methodology is questioned by some), the rankings include some familiar names while some previously lesser-known schools slowly ascend the rankings. Harvard, Yale and Princeton maintained their grip on the top three spots for best national universities, while Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore represented the best national liberal arts college triumvirate.

The Best Value College category, defined by the ratio between the quality of the education and the cost of attendance for a student who received the average amount of financial aid, was also topped by some heavy hitters: Harvard, Yale and Princeton were followed by Stanford and MIT.

While the lists may have been topped by perennial powerhouses, there was plenty of movement lower down the list relative to past rankings. Drexel University shot up nearly 40 spots to crack the top 100, American University ascended from 99 to 79 and Fordham University rose to 56.

Other schools lost their footing: eminent public schools like the University of Virginia, University of California Berkeley (and Los Angeles as well) and North Carolina State University continued their slide. Cornell University fell out of the top 10 universities, while mainstays Wesleyan and Smith no longer make the top 10 liberal arts schools.